Fresh start

An inviting corner café had a makeover and is ready for its first Happy Hour.

Chef spotting

Dating to 1820, this famed chefs' stop was Julia Child's favorite cookware shop.

E. Dehillerin

20 rue Coquillière 75001

Where I took my mother

One of many restaurants I'd written up for USA Today, it was used in Something's Gotta Give (2003) with Jack Nicholson, Keanu Reeves and Diane Keaton.

Le Grand Colbert

2 rue Vivienne 75002

"Bonne Fête Maman!"

It's Mother's Day in France and florists are brimming over.

Film pick:
MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS
"Just in time for Mother's Day...."

Broom lady

Someone tidying up the park leaned a broom on this massive sculpture.

Stare cases

 

Brightly colored staircases in Montmartre have been stopping passersby in their tracks all week.

Book dressing

Fashion boutique or bookstore? Shelves of books are the backdrop to a summer collection.

But first, coffee

Still warm glossy pains au chocolat just waiting to be grabbed.

Wired

  A metal hanger is used to display children's clothing at a Left Bank boutique.

Meant for Paris

  

"Barbara this reminds me so much of you from our college days way back when, visiting your parents in Vienna." Sean L., Tucson AZ

***

 

Photo: Peter Lindbergh

Franca Sozzani, editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia, who passed away December 22, 2016

House of dolls

La Maison de Poupée stocks old-fashioned glass and antique dolls.

40 rue de Vaugirard 75006

Side of pork

Painted wall on the side of a Montmartre café.

Wings on heels

 

Hummingbird sneakers and butterfly-wing heels: this spring it's all about The Shoe.

Protein boost

Traditionally for workers in need of a quick "protein boost" the hard-boiled egg has returned to Paris café counters.

Street show

Facing outwards, a café's tables and chairs appear to be set up for an audience.

Sleepy head

Seventy tons of stone went into "Écoute," Henri de Miller's monolithic sculpture next to the church of Saint Eustache.

Monday motivation

Glorious views on a glorious day at newly re-opened Café de l'Homme.

17 Place du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre 75016

Happy Mom's Day

Today in the USA; in France, May 28th.

(Don't forget to celebrate twice!)

Mother's Day film pick:

(what else?)

MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS

Glimpse

Notre Dame Cathedral just visible across the river beyond shimmering trees and bouquiniste stalls.

Day trip: Musée Camille Claudel

Newly opened Camille Claudel Museum in Nogent-sur-Seine is just an hour and a half away from Paris and on the way to Troyes, restored to its medieval splendor and gateway to the Champagne region.

Lunch:
AU NUMERO VINS
(wine / charcuterie-foie gras-cheese planches one-minute walk from museum)
5 Rue de l'Étape au Vin 10400 Nogent-sur-Seine

 

***

  

“There is always something absent that torments me.” Camille Claudel in a letter to Auguste Rodin 1886

Being a muse is not as easy as it looks. With the opening of France’s first national museum dedicated to the talent of Rodin’s tormented assistant / mistress, Camille Claudel (1864-1943) has finally received the recognition that she has long deserved. - BPJ

Museum dedicated to the work and times of Camille Claudel 

Article: The Good Life France Magazine

 

More hysteria

Violet wisteria frames a garage door in Montmartre.

Wisteria hysteria

   

Pink wisteria cascades over a wall on a Montmartre side street.

Architecture class

University students work on an assignment under arches on the Place des Vosges.

Le Sentier

Beautiful cobbled street in the Sentier quarter, the old garment district of Paris.

Saint Sauveur

Corner of rue Saint Sauveur and Montorgueil market street with graffiti.

Café afternoons

A sidewalk terrace in Montmartre on a sunny afternoon.

Sitting chef

Chef takes a break after a grueling lunchtime service.

Pulpit

Detail of pulpit inside Église Saint-Eustache at Les Halles.

Cages

Stacked cages for sale at the Sunday flower and bird market on Île de la Cité.